Spindle



Patented Apr. 13, 1954 SPINDLE Ernest D. Meadows, Atlanta, Ga., assignor to Meadows Manufacturing Company, Atlanta, Ga., a corporation of Georgia,

Application May 22, 1950, Serial No. 163,410

My invention relates to a textile spindle.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved textile spindle, which will facilitate dofling, and which will minimize vibration of and wear on the bobbins.

It is another object to provide an improved bobbin for use with an improved spindle.

Another object is to improve certain mechanical features of a textile spindle to facilitate and cheapen the manufacture thereof, and, in genral, the object is to provide an improved textile spindle and parts thereof.

In my improved spind1e,I make the blade very materially shorter than the standard length bobbin, and provide a drivinghead at the upper end of the spindle, for supporting and driving a standard length bobbin at a point substantially down from the top thereof. A second head is provided on the blade,to fit within the bore of the bobbin at the lower end to guide and. steady thebobbin.

In the preferred form, I- provide an improved bolster fitting within a bolster case or base, which is itself carried by a rail in the usual fashion. The bolster is preferably made up of separate, readily fabricated pieces subsequently put together so as to provide an improved, yet cheap form of bolster. V

In the drawings which show, for illustrative purposes only, preferred forms of the invention Fig. l is a vertical sectional view through a complete textile spindle and associated bobbin, illustrating features of theinvention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View of a part of the spindle of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional View of the upper part of the spindle of Fig. 1, illustrating a modification.

In the preferred form illustrated, I employ a blade 5, which is supported for rotation in a bolster and bolster case. The blade 5 above the whorl is relatively short and stubby and has a head t at the upper end, which head is preferably of steel or the like, and may be secured to the blade as by means of a press fit, as will be clear from the drawings. The effective length of the blade is much less than the length of a standard bobbin and is preferably of such length as to engage a standard length bobbin about one-third or one-quarter the way down from the top. The

blade has a second head 1 down. from the upper.

end, which head I may correspond to the usual acorn, and may be a part of the usual whorl 8, as will be understood. The head 5 is arranged for driving and supporting a bobbin 9, and in the form shown, the upper head 6 has a tapered outer surface Ill, which is adapted to interfit with the 1 Claim. (01. 308-169) surface I I in the bore of. the bobbin 9, which surface i I may be correspondingly tapered so as to provide a good drive fit between the spindle blade and the bobbin and so as to adequately support the bobbin 9. At the lower end, the bore of the bobbin is preferably truly cylindrical, and the head I is likewise preferably truly cylindrical so as to provide a floating fit, as indicated at [2,

between the lower end of thebobbin and the head i. The fit I2 is sufficiently close as to prevent any substantial vibration of the bobbin, and yet is sufficientlyloose so that only the joint at lfl-II need be broken in doffing. Between the heads 6 and l, the blade 5 is preferably encased in an adapter l3, preferably of plastic or the like, so as to make the blade of substantially uniform diameter from the top down to the whorl.

In the form shown in Fig. 1, the bobbin 9 is truly cylindrical on the outside, while in Fig. i, the bobbin 9' is tapering on the outside, being larger at the bottom than it is at the top. Thus, by making the bobbins with the proper bore and configuration, straight cylindrical bobbins or tapered bobbins may be used interchangeably on the same spindle. The bobbins are preferably formed of plastic, which may be Bakelite or similar material, and which will maintain the: bearing surfaces Without undue wear. If desired, the bottom of the bore of the bobbin may be vertically ribbed or fluted so as to permit passage of yarn and thus prevent cutting at doffing time.

The blade 5 is preferably supported in a bolster M, which is itself supported in a bolster base or case 15. The bolster may be formed of a metal tube [6, having a step-bearing block ll,

with a sleeve or skirt press-fitted or otherwise telescopically fitted and secured to the bottom of the tube, in the present showing the tube being on the outside rather than inside the bearing block skirt. This step-bearing blockhas a stepbearing for the bottom end of the blade, and may have lubricant passages 18 for conducting lubricant to the step-bearing, The bearing block I! may rest upon a bottom plug I9, press-fitted or otherwise secured to the bottom of the base l5. Keying means, such as the pin 20, may be employed for preventing the bearing block ll, and in fact the entire bolster, from rotating in the in the present instance the adapter skirt is fitted inside of the tube rather than outside thereof.

If desired, the tube may be crimped, as indicated at 23, for holding the adapter ZI-in the upper end of the tube. The adapter has a bore 24 for O the passage of the blade 5, and the adapter is provided with a counterbore 25 for the reception of an antifriction bearing, which in the present instance includes a bearing sleeve 2% and cylin- .drical bearing rollers ,2], held in asuitable cage 28. The lbearinjgisleevelli and rjoller's" are held in place as by means of annular abutment rings 29-29 atthe top and bottom. A washer 381 at the top serves to hold the entire bearing assembly in the counterbore, and the upper edge or the sleeve defining the counterbore may ,be headed over, as indicated at 3|, so as "it foengage the washer and permanently secure the'bearing in the bearing adapter. The bearing adapter has a sliding fit within the upper tub'ulaf'end "32 ofthe base or case l5, so that the bolster is centered within the case at the top. The step-bearing block 1.1 at the bottom ,ofith bolster tube has a cle'aaiicfe'bfabout"0'l0l5" in the bolster case so th t'the' bladinay sfefek its own center of rota- "Sl'g'ht'movement of the holster in the case m t, dby'the c1earancLbetWee'n the adapter I, easel lOil'inlthe'case acts as a dampene'r to damp" theunovement' ofthe'bolster in thee e." flta point above the antifriction bear} l d bclvf'the top 3Zof the case l5, the

' blade sis provided with an on slinger as, which 18 eferably located within the skirt of the W11 1,". skirt, as usual, extends down over op of the 'c'asejjand the center of the belt- 'pdftion lof 'the'whorl is preferably just 7 line with the antiffiction bearing.

e case inaycons'ist of a tube threaded intermediate thfe ends'at 3d, 'for the reception of a nut ,(notshown) for securing the case to the usual rail .(not shown). The tube or case 1 5, as stated, 'iriay be closed at the bottom as by means of,'the'p1i1 g l9, and ata point above the threads 34'the case preferably has a radial flange 35, whichmay fitinto'a counterbore it, formed in a lubricator ring 37!, which has a bore to tightly fit theoutside' diameter of the tube 15. The lubricator ring has a passage 38 communicating with a passage in the case l5, so that oil introd 'iritdth e lubrioator .will reach the oil reser' voir iqlfned by the case atthe outside of the bolster tube; It will be understood that the lubricator ring 31 in the form shown is adapted to support the case I5 and to rest on the top of the rail and be held in place by the usual nut (not i-" shown) screwedonto the ease l5.

'The'oil from th reservoir formed in the case at the outside of the bolster tube 16 is adapted to r ach the ,step-bearing'through the passages l8 and to reach the inside of the bolster case around the lower part of the spindle through one or"rno re holes 38 in the tube l5. .These'holes' e'r fe ab n ned and ma be form 'by rinding or otherwise so that at the inside there is?) very sharp edge defining the hole or holes inthe tube, as will be clear particularly from Fig. 3. At apoint' toward the top of the tube 15, and beneath the bearing, the bolster tube l5 preferably has one or more holes 39, similar to the holes f3} heretofore described. .Thus; when the spindle blade rotates, oil within the bolster tube will be fed Upwardly and will'be given somewhat of a Spiral motion so that when it reaches the ,upper'hole or holes 39, the oil will be forced out past the sharp knife'edg e of the hole arid will again di opfiowhon the outside of the tube l5 intd the r'servoirf' Thus, oil will enter thebol ster' tub e bottom; will be f up by .a'wt ts u p t tube before it reaches the top of the bolster tube,

prfoved lspindle are'ex'ceedingly simple in construction and maybe readily manufactured. The

assembly of the various parts is quite simple, and

the "completed-8151mm is cheap to manufacture, very sturdy in construction, and will give excel lent service throughout a long life.

The improved short spindle blade with the drivmg head'at the top to s'upp'or't'and'drive a bobbin from a point well down from the top thereof ismuch superior to the prior art spindles .which drive and support the bobbin fromthe bottom and merely guide the bobbinon the upper end of the blade substantially down from the top of the bobbin. .The prior art spindles referred to soon wear the inner guide surface of the bobbin tosuoh an extent tha Vibration becomes excessive and the bobbin must be replaced. My 'irn proved blade and bobbin fit tightly at the top of the blade so the bobbin is supported and driven from that point. 7 The tight driving fit prevents substantially all wear, and vibrationof the bobbin is reduced to a minimum; thus, bobbin life 'is prolonged, and accuracy and stability maintained. The short blade with the driving head at the top makes for ease in doifing in that the bobbin need be raised only the length of the short blade.

While the invention has been described in considerable detail, and preferred forms illustrated, it is to be understood that various changes may .be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

In a textile spindle, a bolster including a tube having a step bearing at the bottom and an antifriction bearing at the top, said tube having an opening toward the top thereof, which opening has a sharp edge at the inside of said tube, whereby oil flowing up and whirling in said tube due to blade rotation will flow out of said hole, and a base for receiving said bolster and holding an oil supply at the outer side of said tube.

lieferences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 5 i8, 651 Morrison Oct. 29, 1895 1,186,195 Honegger June 6, 1916 1,246,409 Fjellman Nov. 13, 1917 1,555,693 Mueller Sept. 29, 1925 1,6422186 chapfrnanlunfl'u Sent. 13,1927 2,028,537 Erhard Jan. 21, 1936 2,1 2,321 'lifft June 13, 1939 2,1682% S aufert Au 1.1939 2245275 Stahlecker June 17, 1941 2,27%,147 Kelley Feb. 24, 1942 2,402,028 Curtis June 11, 1946 63434 Gelpke Mar. 1, 1949 24351293 ,Gelpke Oct. 18, 1949 2,485,959 Davies Oct. 25, 194.9 .453379 Pichette 2 Nov. 22, 1949. 2,514,157 l-Iilton July a, W 

